


hunger

by miigraine



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Invasion, Among Us, Body Horror, Crack, Gen, The Skeld (Among Us), Video Game: Among Us, there will be no alien sex! sorry horny people!, weird alien guy, why am i writing this its 12 am
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26831011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miigraine/pseuds/miigraine
Summary: an alien has boarded the skeld - but for some reason, it's reluctant to kill the crewmates aboard.maybe a family can be nine crewmates and one alien secretly piloting the dead body of their friend?-or; i thought it would be funny to write a fun little among us alien fic at 12 am. enjoy! hopefully, i'll be updating this frequently:)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 166





	1. webMD search: symptoms are increased heart rate, blood rush in face area, increased production of oxytocin

_Cold_ . Cold was truly the only thing _it_ had ever known- spawned into existence alone, cold, and _hungry_ on a bleak, empty rock hurtling through the massive vastness of space. Couldn’t be called a planet, really. A glorified asteroid would be a better word for it. Plant life was sparse, if even there at all. Without a close enough star system to warm the surface, plant life was unsustainable, and water was mostly frozen. It was a surprise there was life there at all, even if it was an amorphous, twitchy mass of unidentified goo that could survive in a state of indefinite stasis until it was otherwise prompted. 

All it knew was the emptiness, really. _The absence of_. It may have been chance, or fate, perhaps, when the asteroid it resided upon nearly collided with a massive cargo ship. The ship, attempting to veer away from the hurtling rock, was not quick enough- the asteroid ripped along the side of the hull, grazing the exterior of the ship. Thankfully, there was no major damage to the ship, other than a few easily repaired holes and dented metal. The scared shitless crewmates boarded upon the ship would give breathless cheers of relief, glad to be alive, and very, very oblivious to the hungry, disoriented alien clinging for dear life to the ship's damaged exterior. 

-

“Shit,” White said without much preamble, color returning to their pale face. The 10 crewmates standing huddled over the main screen, still flashing red with bold, blocky letters reading _DANGER_ , echoed the sentiment with breathless little murmurs of agreement.

“That,” Pink said, running a very shaky hand down their smudged helmet visor, “was _so_ fucking close. Holy shit, we almost died.”

Everyone nodded shakily. Black, the only one who had remained a semblance of calm during the entire ordeal, was first to recover. They stood up straighter, reassuming the role of stoic, experienced, no-nonsense crewmate. 

“We need to get back to work. No doubt the damage caused will need maintenance and repair, so let’s finish up before curfew.” Black spun on their heels and stalked off, no doubt to count the bandages in the first aid kit for the fiftieth time or something. White stifled a smile at the thought.

No one moved. White’s eyes slid to Red, who was leaning against the wall and inspecting their gloves. Suddenly Red’s helmet tilted, almost thoughtfully. 

“Me and White’ll go fix it,” they said smugly, and White nearly choked. 

“ _HEy-_ ” They started to protest, but were cut off with a wave of Yellow’s hand. 

“Nope, it’s decided! Officially! I, as self appointed leader and _most_ coolest crew member” -a chorus of disagreement halted the monologue for only a moment, then Yellow continued, louder- “-- _coolest_ crew member, that you have to go do maintenance with Red!” White groaned, trying to protest, but Red had already pushed off the wall and began tugging at them in the direction of Navigation. White gave a _very_ emphasized roll of their eyes, then turned and begrudgingly started walking beside Red, snatching their arm out of their grip with a glare.

“So,” White could hear Yellow’s voice said as they walked away, “who wants to play uno?”

Red walked confidently through the dark halls, unbothered by the flashing red overhead lights, nor the occasional hiss of pressurized air through a pipe in the wall. Their heavy boots thudded in a little rhythm on the endless stretch of grey metal hallway floor, echoing around the empty walls. White was nearly impressed with their confidence, but then remembered how much of an absolute dickhead they were and immediately stomped out the little flicker of admiration with fervor. The little blinking map in the corner of the digital interface within their visor announced that Navigation was just ahead, and White snuck a glance at Red. The map had two blinking, red exclamations over both Navigation and Weapons- the asteroid had damaged both systems, meaning _twice_ the work. Damn it.

“You know,” White piped up, “if we split up the work, we’ll be done in half the time.”

Red’s helmet turned to face White, and White could only imagine the displeased frown behind the visor. For some godforsaken reason, Red had taken a liking to making White miserable, constantly singing annoying radio jingles or putting fucking _food coloring_ in their shampoo, or roping them into doing stupid tasks for no fucking reason. 

“Fine,” Red said, and probably stuck their tongue out behind the helmet. What a douche. White stuck their tongue out in response, despite having no actual proof that Red stuck their tongue out in the first place (they totally did).

When Red turned to unlock the sealed doors to Navigation, White rounded the corner to Weapons. The console that usually displayed asteroid detection was, ironically, damaged by the asteroid. Awesome. White stepped towards the malfunctioning device, wracking their brain for the protocol on damaged Weapons systems- the MIRA space training program was all a faded blur, the hours of cramming for exams and nearly dying of caffeine overdose all seeming like old photographs in their mind. 

“Hmm,” they said aloud after removing the front panel and finding a mess of disorganized, colored wires within.

Reaching towards the exposed wires, White gingerly went to pick up the dangling blue wire from the coiled mess, but nearly fell face first into the wires when a sudden, ominous thump sounded from Navigation.

“Holy _shit,_ ” White said, eyes widening, skidding out the door to Weapons and sprinting towards Navigation. They mashed the button to the sealed door, pulse quickening in sickening anticipation for what would lay beyond the door. Hushed warnings from professors of the dangers aboard a MIRA ship flashed through their mind, and White jumped when the door finally hissed open and revealed.. 

Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Red stood, not a single hair out of place (not that White could tell, with the helmet and all) above a tablet screen. White’s eyes swept through the room and they sagged in relief when they realized nothing was wrong.

“Um?” Red said, visor tilted toward White oddly.

“Oh,” White blurted, shaking the relief from their posture and standing up in a definitely casual and normal way. “You’re okay.”

Red stared for a moment, and White felt their cheeks heat. 

“Yes,” They said, and White resisted the urge to facepalm. “Why would I.. Not be?”

“I heard a um. A thump.” White cringed at the voice crack. 

“Oh, that. I tripped,” Red said lamely and unconvincingly. Before White could respond, the tablet in Red’s hands gave a little _ping_! Red stared at the screen for a moment, shoulders tensing. Their helmet tipped forward in confusion, and White watched them through narrowed eyes. 

“You about finished?” White piped up after a moment of Red pecking randomly at buttons on the screen.

Red flinched, as though they’d forgotten that White was there. “Yeeeep,” they said, unconvincingly.

White raised an eyebrow. “You know,” they said, walking behind Red and reaching over their shoulder, tapping through the tablet’s prompts in a few quick jabs, “I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t remember a fucking _thing_ from the MIRA training.”

The tablet finally gave a happy little chime, and White suddenly realized how _close_ they were. Red had frozen, visor turned away, trembling slightly. White jolted back, cursing internally their stupidity. Red was _clearly_ uncomfortable, shitshitshit!

“Ooooo-kay! We should, uh, go back to the cafe, right? Black was gonna um. Assign tasks. At lunch. They get super pissy if we’re late, so we probably need to go! Now!” White blabbered on, slowly backing towards the door, eyes darting anywhere but where Red was still standing, frozen, over the tablet. 

“Welp!” White said, too loudly. “I am! Going! Now!”

White spun around and ran through the door, hissing curses as they speed-walked through the hallway towards the cafe.

“Holy fucking shit I am an _idiot_ what the fuck. I am so stupid fuckfuckfuckfuck-”

They pushed the doors to the cafeteria open a little forcefully, drawing the attention of everyone seated in the cafeteria, which happened to be the entire crew, sans White and Red. 

“You’re late,” Was all Black said, and White briefly entertained the idea of jumping out of the airlock. 

-

It was hungry. Somehow, it had ended up inside the warm interior of the Ship, and it was Incredibly Weird. The warmth was intoxicating, and the creature had crammed itself with no trouble through the cracks of metal in the ship’s hull, shimmying through a tiny crevice to a room full of odd buttons and a large console with some sort of directional joystick atop it, surrounded by switches and levers that all blinked different colors.

The panel over an array of electrical wiring had come loose on its hinges during the crash, and the creature’s malleable form slipped easily into the warm box of live wires. The warmth, while incredibly enjoyable, did nothing to soothe the pit of ravenous hunger in its approximate midsection area. Loud rumbles rippled the gooey flesh, demanding sustenance. 

The creature was reluctant to leave the electrical box of Warmth.

Luckily enough, it didn’t have to. The panel that had nearly fallen off its hinges rattled when suddenly, something- no, some _one_ , began fiddling with it.

The creature coiled tightly within itself, acute sense of smell detecting the wafting scent of _food._ It’s stomach gave a ravenous snarl, and the creature felt itself tense in anticipation. _Excitement,_ even. Patiently, it waited, and after a moment of rattling, the door swung outward, and the creature flung itself from the box, hitting the shocked crewmate squarely in the face, gelatinous goo covering the entirety of the helmet and seeping through tiny gaps in the suit. The crewmate thrashed wildly, blinded by the creature’s sticky body smeared across the visor, plunged into darkness. Clawing at the gooey mass stuck to their helmet was useless- unable to gain traction on the slippery surface, the crewmate could do nothing but jerk violently and give a muffled shriek as the goo began to _smother them,_ cramming itself into every single pore and orifice accessible on their face, shoving itself forcefully down their throat, constricting tight enough to restrict oxygen flow. The crewmate’s blood curdling screech was smothered, and the violent thrashing quickly became sluggish and weak, until the oxygen-deprived body buckled and hit the floor with a loud, resounding _thunk_. 

Being within another creature was a new sensation. It was akin to a computer downloading a virus, almost. The virus takes over the computer's hardware, gaining complete access to all files and information within the computer’s drive. Suddenly, the creature was no longer an _it._ It was no longer a _creature._ It was _Red_ , and _they_ were going to be in big fucking trouble in about 2 seconds when their fellow crewmate bursts through the door and sees them on the floor with alien residue all over their helmet.

By the time the door opened, _Red_ was _Red_ again, and were standing over the task they needed to complete. Unfortunately, some of those “files” the virus had accessed had gotten corrupted in the process of forcefully hijacking them. So maaaybe they were a teensy bit fuzzy on how to complete tasks. Completely fine. They’ll figure it out.

Unfortunately, crewmate member “White” was a very big pain in the ass. For some reason, their body heat and heart rate increased anytime Red spoke or looked directly at them, which was worrying. Did they suspect anything? They had replicated the original Red’s mannerisms nearly perfectly, give or take a few things here and there. If they did suspect something, surely they would tell the others, right? There's no reason they would be suspicious.

Everything was going mostly okay when White suddenly got. Very close. Red, struggling with the weird little blinking buttons on the tablet screen, froze, when the much taller and very warm crewmate White sidled up  _ right behind them  _ and brushed up against their back, kindly soothing the angered tablet with three expert taps. Red did all they could to stay completely and utterly  _ still _ , brain short-circuiting and on the brink of literally exploding. 

Luckily, White seemed to realize how  _ close  _ they were, and jumped back, backing away and squawking nervously, then turning around and sprinting out the door.

Were they dying? Why was their heart beating so rapidly? White had only stepped close enough to brush against them and they froze. Perhaps it was an involuntary reaction from Red’s body? Or maybe going this long without food was starting to do internal damage?

Red shuddered. There would be time to figure this out. Before that, though, they needed to go to the cafeteria. Not to see White, of course. To get assigned tasks. That’s all.


	2. craigslist help wanted: need someone to help get my fat, juicy asscheeks down this vent

Legs were.. Difficult. Used to the comforting familiarity of unipedalism in their original, gelatinous state, to say that using legs was a struggle would be an understatement. Red’s memories of walking and muscle memory only went so far, and they had to constantly be aware of what direction each leg was going. To be honest, boarding the ship was not a very thought out plan- it was just something that _happened._ Eating Red’s internal organs to make space for alien parasite goo was, admittedly, not an _accident._ The liver was quite tasty, though. It wasn’t enough to sate them, however. The ever-present thrumming of adrenaline spurred by the smell of flesh, albeit flesh hidden behind layers of durable suits, was exhilarating. There really wasn’t a _plan._ Only one thing was a certainty- they could _not_ get caught. Memories from a space training program were distant, but the message was clear. If an _Imposter_ were found aboard the ship, they would be launched out of the airlock, left to die alone and cold in space. 

Red shivered. Never again would they experience the _cold._

Shaking off the harsh, jaded memory, Red straightened. This is it. All there is to do is blend in. Easy peasy. The helmet surrounding the entirety of their head region was extremely helpful, particularly the informative, digital visor interface- it provided thoughtful insight to the layouts and floor plan of the entire ship, including the _ventilation systems,_ which, awesome. It also concealed the writhing mass of alien goo that had completely encased Red’s face. Annoyingly, the suit _did_ take vitals, and apparently cramming alien sludge down someone’s throat and dissolving the majority of their internal organs with acidic stomach fluids was not good for one’s health. The suit tried making that fairly clear, evident by the red, flashing letters that spelled out _HEART RATE CRITICALLY LOW_ and flashed persistently every few seconds _._ Red had decided that leaving the heart, lungs, and brain intact would be the most efficient way of moving forwards- alien biology was incorporative, and due to its parasitic nature, tended to meld quite easily to another organism's organ system. Keeping the most essential organs would reduce the strain on their body, and thus require less nutrients for optimal functionality. Additionally, their flexible and malleable bodies were incredibly skilled at mirroring other organisms- they could almost completely alter their appearance to appear however they please. While there were always a few inconsistencies, if someone wasn’t looking very closely, they would be quite easy to miss. 

They thought back to Red’s face moments before death- eyes wide and mouth parted in a fearful, teary cry. The alien mass shifted, colors transforming from a sickly pale white to a bloody red, then to an approximate tone that matched Red’s original skin. The lumpy, jelly-like blob of a face smoothed gradually, each feature slotting slowly into place- eventually morphing to an almost exact replica of Red’s boyish face from before. Dark, curled bangs fell across their forehead, mussed and impossible to tame. Nearly everything fell into place seamlessly; a perfect copy. Their eyes, however, were.. Not exact. Slitted, black, vertical pupils replaced Red’s originally circular ones. It was a good thing they had helmets on.

Eventually they walked, albeit a tad uneasily, out the door and down the hall, recalling White’s hasty retreat and words about how Black would be upset if they were late. Oops. Their slitted gaze flickered up to the hall and back to the map present on the visor’s display, slowly making their way to the cafeteria. When they finally approached the sturdy, metal doors, they took a moment to breathe (they had lungs now- it was weird to have to breathe). They were _Red._ Charming, annoying, dickhead Red, full of hot air and bravado and _confidence_ . The performance would need to be convincing, _foolproof_. This is it.

White looked up from where they were sitting, forced to take the only empty seat beside Yellow, who was tipping their chair back and had their feet propped up on the bottom of White’s chair. They rocked back and forth every few seconds or so, in the process jolting White’s seat with every forceful movement. White’s hands clenched tightly on the table. The door to the cafeteria opened with a sudden _THWACK,_ and all heads turned- Red stood behind the swinging door, foot extended as though they had just kicked in the door, posture relaxed and confident as always. White ignored the soaring relief in their chest seeing Red, acting as though nothing had happened in Navigation, and instead rolled their eyes at Red’s dramatic entrance.

“Red,” Black pretty much growled, and a smug smile spread across White’s face at Red’s imminent chastisement. 

“Hm?” Red said, sauntering through the door with their hands shoved in their pockets and head tipped to the side in a funny manner. No doubt had a huge, stupidly smug grin that reached their ears beneath that helmet.

Black’s tinted visor gave nothing away about their expression, but judging by the quickly stifled _snrks_ of laughter that the other crewmates were failing to play off as coughs, they were definitely a liiittle pissed. It was kind of funny.

“Would you just sit down,” they bit out, definitely not as a question. Their black gloved hands gripped the edge of the table tightly, and White thought maybe they heard the metal creaking from the grip. Thankfully for the table, Red decided to sit.

“Sooo, tasks?” Green said, attempting to bring the meeting back on track, despite their shuddering, stifled huffs of laughter and obvious amusement at the entire ordeal. 

“Taaaaaasks,” Blue echoed, hands guarding their precariously stacked tower of condiment packets from Lime’s attempts to topple it. 

Black sat up straighter, then paused, presumably pulling the list up on their visor. 

“I’m assigning your tasks for today,” Black said. True to their word, each crewmate’s helmet gave a tinny beep as the list of tasks appeared in the corner of the display. 

“Get them done before curfew. I don’t want to have to explain to HQ why my report is 30 minutes late. _Again_.” Black’s gaze shifted to Red, and White could feel the heat of the glare through the suit. Red didn’t flinch, only leaned back in their chair and gave a little mock salute.

“Yes, sir!” the 9 crewmembers all cried out in sing-song, and then dissolved into little snorts, each one standing from their chair and milling about to see who had similar tasks.

White stood too, watching as everyone split into little groups to do tasks together. Reading through their list of tasks, White cursed their luck. Download tasks were the _worst_ , how did they get stuck with them _all?_ And cleaning the fucking O2 filter. Looking over the rest of the tasks with a scowl, White could only sigh. All the worst tasks.

“Anyone have Engines?” Pink chirped, and White perked up. 

“I’ve got Engines,” White and Red said at the same time. 

White dragged a hand down their helmet and tried not to scream.

“- and then I put _food coloring_ in their _shampoo!_ ” Red cried, voice pitching up in a weird way, but Pink erupted into loud, grating cackles anyway.

The two practically pranced their way through the halls, trading “funny” stories and bursting into raucous laughter.

“Is _that_ why they wouldn’t sleep without their helmet for a week?” Pink said between gasps of laughter, and Red shook with giggles. 

“Don’t tell people that,” White said with a scowl. Pink and Red’s laughter only grew louder, and White could only practice soothing breathing exercises to prevent a murder. Red’s laugh was odd, though- was White imagining it, or did it seem a little.. weird?

“Anyway, _as_ I was saying-” Red interrupted White’s thoughts, but White cut them off before they could finish what would no doubt be another embarrassing story Pink would use as blackmail.

“Oh wow look! It’s the Engine room! No more terrible stories please _stop,_ now!”

Red harrumphed, but obligingly stepped through the doorway, Pink at their side.

White walked into the stiflingly hot engine room. Steam blasted from an iron pipe, and White hurried to the fuel canister.

“This room is always so damn hot,” White griped, wishing they could wipe the sweat from their brow. Stupid helmet. Stupid MIRA regulations that prohibited removing the helmet outside of personal quarters. Stupid engine.

“I like it,” Red purred, sidling up beside the huge, vibrating engine that absolutely spewed heat.

“I don’t know how you can stand that!” Pink whined, the voice modulator in the helmet making their voice even more high pitched than normal. “It’s so hot, and this suit makes it ten times worse! I feel like I’m in a pressure cooker!”

“Can we please just hurry up and finish these tasks so we can get out of here?” White moaned, warm, puffy breath fogging up the lower half of the visor. Their eyes flicked back to where Red was pressed against the engine. “I thought you hated the heat, Red! What gives?”

Red did a weird little sound with their throat and shrugged. “I was cold,” They grumbled eventually, reluctantly unsticking from the side of the engine, kneeling beside White and reaching for a fuel canister. Pink strode to the engine calibrator, fiddling with the joystick with an over dramatic sigh. 

“Wish we could take these damn helmets off,” Pink said, and White couldn’t help but agree. 

“I don’t see why they don’t let us take them off,” White said with a grunt.

“They let us take them off in our quarters, so why not during the day?” Pink said, bringing their hand up as if to wipe the sweat from their brow- then presumably remembered the helmet, and reluctantly lowered their arm back to the console.

Red and White filled the empty canisters with fuel fairly quickly as the room faded into a comfortable sort of silence. White, despite all their annoyance with Red’s ridiculous bravado, was relieved there was no leftover tension from what happened in Navigation. Red was just acting _mostly_ normal, which was good, right? Either way, White made sure to keep at least a few feet distance between them, making sure not to brush against them by mistake.

“Done!” Pink trilled after a few minutes of messing with buttons and switches, standing back to proudly observe the now calibrated engine output. They turned to White and Red, who still kneeled beside the fuel. 

“Well, my next task is in Electrical. I think I saw Lime headed there anyway, so see you guys later!” Pink gave a little wave, then bounced out into the hall and began the trek down towards electrical.

Red capped their fuel canister and rose, turning to face White. They stood there silently for a beat, and White stared back. 

“I have a task in Electrical as well, so I’m gonna see if I can catch up with Pink.” With that, Red scurried out of the room, and White watched as they left with a questioning glance.

“Electrical, huh?” White murmured, nose scrunching up beneath the helmet as they finished the last of the fuel canisters. Red was acting weird. White could only hope it wasn’t because of them.

Red left Engines at an awkward, hurried pace that was somewhere between sprinting and power-walking, trotting down the hallways and listening for the sound of footsteps. After a moment of speed walking, they tensed, head whipping over their shoulder and checking to see if White was still watching their departure. When they saw that they were out of White’s range of vision, they did one last frantic check around the hallway, finding no one. Their slitted eyes snapped up to the security camera hung on the wall- and huffed in relief. The red light that indicated use was unlit, and excitement bubbled up through Red’s chest. Everything was going _perfectly._ Their eyes flicked to the ventilation maps on the ship’s floor plan in the corner of the visor’s display. The narrow pupils of their slitted eyes widened, adrenaline rushing in their ears. That gnawing _hunger_ was the only thing present- all other feelings dulled, and their senses _sharpened_. Red scrambled into the security room, eyes darting to make sure no one was around- once sure the room was empty, they raced to the dark vent in the corner of the room. Too small for most crewmates, save maybe one of the smaller members, maybe Yellow? The tight squeeze was no issue for Red, however. Their body twisted in an unnaturally gruesome fashion, but they made it into the vent, only to be dropped about six feet straight down onto cold metal.

The pitch black ventilation pipes were large enough to walk through, and despite the absolute darkness, Red’s slitted eyes widened further and adjusted rapidly to the dark. Wasting no more time, Red knew it had to be _now._ According to Pink, Lime was most likely alone in Electrical, and with the shortcut provided by the ventilation system, if Red could make it to electrical before Pink, kill Lime, then return to the vents and double back to security, they could walk through the halls to electrical with Pink- leaving them with a stone cold alibi. Coming from Engines to Electrical had only one path, other than the vents. It would be impossible for Red to have snuck past Pink and made it back without being seen; a stone cold alibi indeed.

The rusted ladder rungs that lead to the vent in electrical drew closer, and Red skidded to a stop, pricking their ears and stilling, heartbeat quickening and roaring in their ears. 

“--I hate electrical tasks,” Lime was whining to themselves in the room above. Little sparks of electricity popped and crackled as they fiddled with the wires. “This room always creeps me ouuut.”

Red pressed against the metal rungs, listening intently, and a sudden, odd noise made them tense. Lime had begun to.. sing? Quietly, barely audible, but there. Soft, mumbled words and a wonderful lilting voice. Crawling closer to the vent grate, transfixed, Red strained their ears, zeroing in on the melodious tune. So closely they were listening- that they didn’t realize Pink was at the entrance to the room.

Pink, hearing the quiet humming, stopped to bask in the music for a moment. Lime, still tinkering with the wires, didn’t notice them, and neither did Red- they were entranced by the song. 

When the song slowly petered off into muted hums, Pink walked loudly into the room, and Lime almost jumped out of their skin.

“That was so _good,_ Lime!” Pink cried, throwing their arms into the air and giving a little round of applause, interrupting Lime’s aborted cry of surprise.

Red, from where they were hanging off the topmost rung with their ear pressed against the grate, could practically feel the bashful warmth that Lime emitted at the praise.

“You scared me, you know?” they said finally, one hand rubbing sheepishly behind their head.

It was Pink’s turn to be sheepish. “Sorry,” they said, but didn’t seem all that sorry. “You’re just a wonderful singer.”

“Thanks, Pink,” Lime murmured softly, and finished the last of the wiring. “Y’know, I’ve heard you play the guitar when you think no one’s awake at night, you know. You’re very talented.”

Pink laughed. “I _totally_ knew you were awake! We should, like, start a band. We’d sound so _good!_ ”

The two both giggled. “You know Black would _kill_ us, right? Then they would write about how they killed us in their report to HQ, and then probably throw themself out of the airlock for violating the No Murder protocol.” 

Red perched on one of the metal rungs thoughtfully, listening to the two crewmates amicable laughter in the electrical room, milling about to finish tasks but mostly just _talking_ to each other.

They were.. friends. They _enjoyed_ each other's company. These were genuine, human interactions, and it made Red feel strangely empty inside. Even the ever-present churning, vicious, _rumbles_ of hunger had faded to low, occasional grumbles. It was almost _peaceful_ , listening to the idle, droning chatter filter through the slits in the vent. Their jovial voices were so _soothing_. The casual display of friendship was soured by that harsh pang of jealousy, however, and Red shrunk back from the vent with a disappointed sigh. What those two had was truly a _friendship_. Red would always have to be alone.

Stilling for a moment, Red realized that, with Pink in the room, there was no way they could kill Lime. Not only that.. it was odd, but- they felt this _pang_ in their chest any time they really thought about killing Lime. Good-natured Lime, with the soft, angelic voice, who spent their days on The Skeld trying to make others _laugh_ . Make others happy. Something that Red could _never-_

Red suddenly jumped, their loose grip on the topmost rung nearly slipping when Lime and Pink’s chatter was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream, and the immediate sound of the shrieking, howling emergency alarm that followed. 

_“Shit,”_ Red hissed. This was not good. Very not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER TWOOO i wanted to put this out yesterday but i fell asleep lol. ENJOY:)!!


	3. vent shenanigans

White raced down the corridor, heart pounding- the piercing cry of the siren was haunting, bouncing around the empty hallway and echoing until it was _thunderous._ Their boots pounded against the floor as they rushed in the direction of the scream- the _blood curdling_ scream. Someone was dead, White _knew_ . One of _them._ One of the crewmates that they had spent months, isolated on this _damn_ ship together, joking and teasing with. _Dead._

From down the hall, Lime and Pink were skidding frantically around a corner. White sagged in relief at the sight of two of their closest friends _alive._

“What the fuck,” Pink said breathlessly.

“I don’t- I don’t know! Someone _screamed,_ tell me you heard that!” White blurted, words coming in little frantic hiccups.

Lime’s helmet swiveled desperately around the hall, checking each room for- _God-_ a body.

White stared at the two crewmates in front of them, and froze. 

“Where’s Red?” they choked out, and felt ice-cold dread curl in their gut.

“I thought Red was with _you!_ ” Pink cried.

“Oh my God,” White said, and pushed past the two crewmates before them, rushing through the hall and calling out.

“ _RED!_ ” they screamed, voice splitting as they sprinted down the hall, Lime and Pink following closely behind.

This was not good. Very, very, _very_ not good. Red, who had scrambled down further into the vents as soon as the alarm had begun its ear-shattering screeching, was absolutely in deep shit. Someone had figured out _something._ Did they know Red was an imposter? Were they preparing the airlock even now, as they searched the ship for the parasite who had killed their friend and taken over their body? 

Racing down the dark vents, careful not to concuss themselves on any low-hanging pipes or machinery, they searched frantically for a vent that would lead to an empty room- _finally,_ a set of metal rungs appeared in the distance, lit dimly by the light filtering through the vent grate. Running up to it, Red scaled it in seconds and stared through the slots in the grate. Once completely sure the room was empty, Red brought their hand back in a fist, then forcefully _shoved_ the grate off its hinges and vaulted out, landing with a puff of exertion on their knees.

Through the thick walls, Red’s sharp hearing picked up distant, indistinct yelling. A cursory sniff of the air and a flick of their sharp tongue made Red _recoil._ The coppery, salty taste of blood had permeated the air like a fog, and Red’s stomach, spurred by the adrenaline and sharp, reeking scent of _blood_ and _guts,_ resumed its demanding howls of hunger, and Red could only clutch their stomach tightly, fighting the monstrous mouth threatening to split the fabric of their suit in half. Their mind suddenly flashed to _White,_ lying dead in a puddle of their own innards and blood and bile, and Red felt _sick._ White could be dead. _Dead._ Their stomach seized _._

Suddenly, in the distance, the frantic, hysterical voice of _White-_ alive and _breathing-_ called desperately out-

“ _Red!_ ” they cried, and Red’s heart _soared._

Bursting out of the room and into the hall, Red’s head snapped right and left, searching for White.

“RED!” White’s voice screamed, and Red whipped around, breath catching at the sight of White careening down the hallway.

“White,” they whispered, almost guiltily, then let out a surprised _oof_ when White barreled into them, arms wrapping impossibly tight around their shoulders.

“Oh my God,” they whispered, tinny voice through the helmet shaking with uncontained grief. 

Red did not raise their arms to return the hug, but leaned wholeheartedly into it, craning their neck to shove their face into White’s chest, accepting the strong, warm arms that gripped them tightly. Guilt crawled up their throat like bile. 

“I thought you were dead,” they both said.

Lime and Pink skidded to a stop behind them, both panting loudly.

Pink gave a sob of relief when they saw White with Red clutched to their chest, _alive._

“Red, what’s going on?” Lime said, and Red tensed. 

“I don’t know,” they replied truthfully with a nervous shrug. “Do you guys.. Know anything?”

Before anyone could answer, the door to Communications slid open, and the shaking, hunched figure of Blue stood, one hand braced on the wall.

They gave a short, stifled sob, and the four crewmates outside all turned, immediately recoiling at the sight. 

Blue stood on wavering legs, hands clutched around their stomach, _blood_ splattered across the entire front of their suit.

Red shivered and took a step back, feeling their stomach give a painful, ravenous squeeze at the sight of the blood.

“Oh God,” Pink choked out, and ran forward to support them. “Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?” 

Blue stared blankly at the floor, unmoving, and White released their hold on Red to dash forward.

Red stood back as Lime, White, and Pink all helped Blue to the ground. Pink pressed light, frantic touches all over the bloodied areas, looking for entrance wounds, and gave a relieved sigh when they found none.

“They aren’t hurt,” they whispered, and everyone exchanged glances.

“Blue,” Lime started, softly, and Blue burst into broken, wet sobs.

“T-Th-e-y-’r-e.. _D-de-ad_ -” Blue gasped out, and everyone fell _silent._

Around the corner, Black and Green came running- Brown and Cyan not far behind. Each one stuttered to a stop when their gaze fell on the three crewmates huddled around a wailing Blue, suit nearly red with saturated blood.

“Someone has to go in,” Cyan whispered, and the crewmates exchanged nervous glances.

  
  


“Oh,” said Black, who they had unanimously voted to enter first. 

The remaining crewmates pushed through the door, and each one probably turned a bit green below their helmets.

Pink shoved back through the doorway, kicking the door closed behind them, and the sound of a helmet being thrown and wet vomit squelching onto the floor filtered through the wall.

White had a hand over their face and was trying to choke down their own bile, and Blue leaned against Lime as though they were the only thing holding them up- they probably were. Red stared blankly from the edge of the room. 

The body was the worst of it. Yellow, fucking _Yellow_ , their stupidly bright and cheery colored suit, lay _splayed_ across the floor like a pinned butterfly. The carpeted floor was sodden with their blood, which still flowed sluggishly from the huge, gaping hole torn across the length of their abdomen. The skin was peeled away, and the cavernous, bloodied husk of muscle and tissue had been _torn apart._ By _teeth._ Huge teeth marks shredded Yellow’s entire midsection, taking every last internal organ, and leaving behind only a mess of scattered intestines and leftover innards spewed around the corpse. The suit was ripped to shreds around the wound, and something wickedly sharp had cut a jagged line all the way up from Yellow’s stomach to their sternum, in a Y-incision eerily reminiscent to an autopsy incision. The relatively clean cut had been marred by the sheer amount of ripped, torn skin that had been pulled apart savagely by an immense, gaping set of jagged teeth. There was no _doubt_ Yellow had been alive during the maiming, as the blood splattered on the walls could only have been pumped by a still rapidly beating heart. The room had been _painted_ red. And it was no accident- ignoring the blood splattered during the initial blow, blood was smeared all along the walls, _purposefully_. The smearing tapered off into a single word, scrawled out boldly in blood. 

_Two._

Very, very not good indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter three baybeeeeee >:o)  
> sorry it's so short ;; i have a ton of schoolwork that i need to catch up on but i really wanted to put something out today!  
> ENJOY :)!


	4. *pins you to the wall seductively*

“Yellow is dead,” Black announced slowly from their seat at the head of the table, as though every single crewmate sitting before them hadn’t seen the fucking desecrated, torn to shreds corpse of Yellow minutes before.

“We fucking  _ know that, _ ” Cyan growled, and White couldn’t help but agree.

A look around the cafeteria was all one needed to gauge the atmosphere- Black, stoic as ever, was sitting with their back ramrod straight at the head of the table, but White could see the minute trembling of their hands. 

Cyan, sitting beside Yellow’s vacant seat, was shaking too, but with anger. Their shoulders rose and fell with ragged, furious breaths. 

Blue had their chair pressed against the closest crewmate, Lime, shoulders hunched and body curved towards the welcome embrace of their friend. 

Green was watching as Brown paced restlessly in the middle of the room, hands balled into fists.

White’s gaze fell to Red, who had their hands folded in their lap, head tilted downwards, completely still.

Brown suddenly stopped, squaring their shoulders. 

“Someone,” they said, voice hoarse and desperate, gaze flicking around the room madly. “Someone on this ship killed Yellow.”

Silence fell around the room, and White’s heart clenched.

Black smacked their hand down on the table with a resounding  _ thunk.  _ "I was with Green,” they said, and everyone turned to Green, who nodded solemnly in agreement.

“We were in admin doing downloads,” Green clarified, and shrunk into their seat. “Blue was with us, about twenty minutes before they.. they.. found-" Green’s voice cut off in a choked sob. 

Black nodded, then turned to Blue, who was still hunched beside Lime. “Blue, did you see anyone near comms when you found Yellow?”

Blue raised their head shakily. “No,” they said, voice small. “No one else was there. I.. heard footsteps, in the distance, maybe towards electrical? But they were fading, so I assumed they were walking away. I didn’t see them though.”

White looked around the cafeteria, taking in everyone’s reactions. One of these people is an  _ imposter.  _ Who knows how long they had been on the ship,  _ pretending  _ to be their friend, to  _ care.  _ They had eaten meals together, played fucking  _ cards  _ together, and who the fuck knows else? White’s shoulder’s trembled with a deep, shaky breath.

“Where was everyone else?” said Black sharply, interrupting the silence. Everyone traded glances.

“I was fixing wires in navigation,” Cyan said shortly. “Didn’t see anyone else.”

Brown nodded at that. “I was in O2 doing trash,” they said. “Me and Cyan walked together then split up to finish our tasks about 30 minutes before the alarm went off.

“I was in engines,” White said finally. “I was with Red and Pink, before they both went to electrical.”

Beside White, Red tensed.

Pink turned to Lime, making a confused sound in the back of their throat.

“Red.. wasn’t in electrical,” Lime said.

“I didn’t leave with Red,” Pink said slowly, turning their visor towards Red, who froze.

White shook their head. “A few minutes after you left for electrical, Red got up and said they had tasks there too. I watched them leave.”

“I was on my way to electrical,” Red said after a long moment of silence, voice stubbornly calm. “But I went into security for a moment before just to check on..” they cleared their throat. “Cams.” 

White stared at Red. The cafeteria was silent, all heads turned towards Red, who was still under their gazes.

Pink shifted nervously in their chair, but said nothing. They exchanged a loaded glance with Lime, who also stayed quiet.

“We don’t have anything on  _ anyone _ ,” White said loudly, after the silence became stifling in the room. “We can’t start accusing people of fucking  _ murder!”  _

“Yellow is  _ dead,  _ White!” Cyan said, voice cracking as they grew hysteric, pushing their chair out with a shove and standing. “The killer is  _ here,  _ and they wrote out a fucking message in Yellow’s  _ blood! Someone killed them!” _

Vicious arguments suddenly exploded within the cafeteria, each crewmate fiercely snarling venomous words of hatred and accusation. Pink and Lime were arguing in hushed tones, while White was yelling at Cyan, who had stomped closer, pushing into White’s space and trying to knock them out of their chair. Brown had begun pacing again, throwing their hands up in the air and gesturing furiously at Green. Black looked about to explode on Red, who was barking about security and cams and who  _ knows  _ what else.

“ _ Enough! _ ” came Blue’s voice, just as Cyan pulled White’s chair from beneath them. White toppled to the ground, and the  _ thud  _ was enough to silence the room. 

Blue stood shakily beside their chair. “Yellow is dead,” they said, and everyone in the room shrunk down a little. “Yellow is  _ dead,  _ and you all are arguing like a bunch of  _ children.” _

White felt guilt well up in their throat, eyes watering. Everyone had returned to their chairs and bowed their heads. 

“Curfew is in ten,” Blue said quietly. “We should get some rest.”

Black stood, then. “Blue’s right,” they said with finality. “Everyone to your quarters. We will talk about this in the  _ morning _ .”

Red was the first to stand, kicking their chair in with a grunt and striding in the direction of the quarters. Without bothering to check if anyone else had followed suit, Red made their way through the hallways, boots thudding heavily with each step. 

“Fuck,” they said lowly, “fuck, fuck fuck  _ fuck! _ ”

_ Someone  _ did this. Not Red. Someone killed Yellow, and if they didn’t figure out  _ who,  _ the crewmates were going to pin the blame on  _ Red.  _ Fear clawed its way Red’s throat, and they hunched over as they walked, feeling their heart race, terrified, in their chest. 

The message on the wall, written in Yellow’s fucking  _ blood,  _ was a clear message for Red-  _ two.  _ Red’s mind was whirling with the world-shattering implications of the statement. Red, thought to have been  _ alone  _ on that fucking spacerock in the middle of fuckall-nowhere-spaceland, was  _ not  _ alone. That message practically  _ confirmed  _ it. Somehow, some _ where,  _ on that asteroid, there was another.. thing. A freak, just like them. And they, just like Red, weaseled their way onto this ship, took over the body of one of the innocent crewmates, and then  _ killed  _ Yellow. 

What the fuck was Red going to  _ do? _

In the quarters, each crewmate had a separate room, with the “dorms” taking up an entire length of hallway. Red’s room was near the end of the hall, a little nameplate with their name printed in a small, thin font. Red’s memories of the room served well, as they pushed the door in, seeing the room as messy as they recalled. Stepping over plates and empty, smelly packets of dehydrated chicken and applesauce strewn across the floor, Red moved to the clear, cylindrical container holder for their suit, near the entrance to the door.

Red fidgeted with their gloves, peeling them off and casting them aside, letting them fall in a heap beside an empty packet of food. With their hands free from the suit, they could feel the sudden sharp nip of cold air. Red shivered. 

With a sigh, they moved to remove their helmet, but they jumped when their door slammed open. 

White’s tall silhouette shoved through the door, chest heaving. 

Red froze, back turned to the door. Neither moved, and Red’s eyes slid to the reflection in the reflective, metal wall, and their heart leapt into their throat- White suddenly moved, and Red whipped around, only to have their back shoved forcefully against the wall. 

“You,” White said, pinning Red to the wall, one hand tightly gripping their shoulder with an almost painful hold- their other hand went to the edge of their own helmet and pulled it off in one, rough movement.

“Did you kill Yellow?” White asked, tousled, disheveled bangs slipping down over their eyes. Red’s eyes widened at White’s  _ face.  _ Their face had crumpled, drawn into a miserable, despairing frown, eyes searching for  _ something  _ that lay behind Red’s visor. Despite the way White’s huge figure loomed above Red and kept them pinned to the wall, their voice was small, fragile- and it hitched when they said Yellow’s name. Their eyes watered dangerously with tears, and Red felt a little part of them shatter.

“I didn’t,” Red said, squeezing their eyes shut tightly, trying to erase White’s  _ face  _ from their memory. “I..”

“Are you even really  _ Red? _ ” White said, shaking their head in horrified disbelief, eyes rimmed with red.

Red shrunk against the wall.

“You killed them both,” White said slowly, slumping back, hand falling away limply from Red’s shoulder. “Oh God. Oh  _ God _ .”

“No!” Red said, pleading, hating the way the hope fizzled out as recognition had dawned in White’s eyes when they  _ realized. _

“Are you going to kill me, too?” White said quietly, stubbornly, as though they had accepted this is where they would  _ die _ , face twisted into pure, unabashed  _ betrayal  _ as they stared at Red, tears dripping down the bridge of their nose.

Red’s breath caught. “No, God, no. I wouldn’t-! I  _ didn’t-  _ I didn’t kill Yellow,” they choked out finally, and White barked out a wet laugh.

“Then who _did?”_

“I don’t  _ know!”  _

“How fucking  _ convenient!” _

Red squared their shoulders, and looked up at White, shaking. “You have to believe me,” they said, hoping,  _ wishing  _ White wouldn’t walk out the door and leave.

“Why  _ should  _ I?” White whispered back, face drawing into a broken, bitter smile, tears dripping from their cheeks and soaking into their suit fabric.

Red lifted their hands to their helmet and drew a short, hiccupping breath- and then they pulled their helmet off with one swift movement, casting it aside to the floor, and leaning forward. White recoiled when Red’s slitted, red-rimmed, teary eyes met their own.

“Because I won’t  _ lie  _ to you,” Red hissed, hoping desperately that White would  _ believe them _ . White’s head tilted down to stare at Red, their hot, shallow breaths warm on Red’s cheek, “not again.”

White stared, eyes wide and struck with disbelief, and Red searched their face for  _ something, anything.  _ The only sound was the frantic, fluttering beat of their heart, pounding like rain in their ears. White’s hands reached up, suddenly, and Red flinched, expecting to be struck- but Red only had a moment for their shocked, short-circuited brain to comprehend what was happening when White’s hands fisted in their hair and pulled them close, pressing their lips together in a messy, confused  _ kiss.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY ABOUT THE SHORT CHAPTER AHHHH  
> i am so late on work and ive got an exam in like 5 hours and instead of sleeping iwas writing this i really really hope you guyss dont hate it! sorry again for the wait ive had so much on my plate but i finally had a chance to sit down and write and i loved it so i hope you all like it too :)


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